"During this period, police will regulate and prohibit publication and dissemination of matters [that are] pre-judicial to public safety," Inspector General Kakomana Kanganja said on 15 July, noting that they may limit certain publications and social media later "when people are abusing."

"Given developments in Zambia in the last year, the partial state of emergency would seem to be part of a broader effort that we have observed to silence critical voices, including the country's remaining independent media outlets,” IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis warned in a statement.

Policing police

On 27 July 2017, NewsDay journalists Obey Manayiti, Shepherd Tozvireva, Abigail Mutsikidze, and their driver, Raphael Phiri were attacked and detained by police after documenting an encounter between police and members of the public in Harare's business district.

The journalists marched to Harare Central Police station the following day, where they discussed the incident with Inspector Ziburubudu and Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zimbabwe Legal Officer Farai Nhende. In a statement, MISA Zimbabwe condemned the events of 27 July, noting that "this abuse of authority by the police [is] seemingly aimed at blocking their unflattering law enforcement practices from filtering into the public domain."

Suna Venter's broken heart

"I'm angry at the line managers who ignored each and every e-mail I wrote about your safety... The spokespeople who used the mighty platform of the SABC to belittle you; who said the death threats against you were a police matter and not concerning the corporation...They ignored you when you asked for advice on your health situation. And now you're dead."

The 32-year-old news producer died after being diagnosed with a condition called stress cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome."

Venter's family believes that her condition - caused by prolonged periods of intense stress - was a direct result of the numerous attacks, threats and legal battles that she had endured since 2016.

Suna Venter, part of the SABC 8, campaigned against censorship in South Africa

Suna Venter/Facebook

Venter was part of a group known as the "SABC 8" who were fired last year after speaking out against an order that prohibited SABC journalists from broadcasting footage of violent protests.

In a statement released in May 2016, SABC Chief Operating Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng said that airing videos of violence directed at public institutions "could encourage further violence."

South Africa's high court subsequently ordered a lift on the footage ban and declared the journalists' dismissal to be unlawful, but the threats against Venter and her colleagues continued. Venter's family released a statement detailing what the young journalist endured over a year: "Her flat was broken into on numerous occasions, the brake cables of her car were cut and her car's tyres were slashed. She was shot at and abducted - tied to a tree at Melville Koppies while the grass around her was set alight."

Venter's death provoked outcry from fellow journalists and civil society at large, as is evidenced by the tweets below:

Venter's death was not the only shocking event to happen to South African journalists on 29 June.

On the same day, the home of Tiso Blackstar Group editor Peter Bruce was picketed by Black Land First (BLF) activists, IPI reports. The activists wrote "land or death" on Bruce's door and assaulted Business Day journalist Tim Cohen on site.

The following day, BLF released a statement announcing that they were targeting "racist" journalists and the "covering up of white corruption under the guise of journalists."

The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) Chairperson perceived the threats as an attempt to silence the media on numerous issues, including the Gupta family - who are reportedly very influential on government affairs. Numerous South African publications postulate that BLF has ties to the Guptas.

On 7 July 2017, a Johannesburg court granted SANEF a legal request to prevent BLF from "gathering outside threatened journalists' homes, from threatening them with violence in social media and from inciting harm against them in public interviews."

Lawrence Okojie's mysterious death

Suna Venter was not the only journalist who was mourned in July.

On 9 July 2017, Lawrence Okojie's body was found in a morgue in Benin City, Nigeria.

Reports cited by the International Press Centre (IPC) say that the Nigerian Television Authority journalist was last seen on his way home from work on the evening of 8 July. The search team later discovered his body with gunshot wounds.

Lanre Arogundade, Director of IPC, commented on the killing in a statement: "It is one killing too many. It is very sad that journalists are still being murdered in cold blood with no one so far prosecuted and convicted for the acts."

Where is Jean Bigirimana?

July marked one year since Iwacu news website journalist Jean Bigirimana disappeared in Burundi.

On 22 July 2016, the journalist left his home to meet a contact and told his wife he would be home in time for lunch, but she never saw him again. Witnesses say they saw Bigirimana being arrested by members of the National Intelligence Service, and, a few days later, Iwacu employees found two unidentifiable bodies in a ravine.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that authorities have failed to conduct a proper investigation into his case; in advocating for one, Bigirimana's wife has herself become the target of threats.

A photo of disappeared Burundian journalist Jean Bigirimana hangs on the wall of the Iwacu building. "In memory of Jean Bigirimana who disappeared on 22 July 2016. We will never forget you."

Iwacu

"It is high time for this investigation to be completed so that we can finally find out what happened to Jean Bigirimana," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk.

Football and "insurrections"

July was rife with censorship in Sudan and South Sudan.

FIFA's suspension of the Sudan Football Association's membership on 6 July 2017 was not a development that Sudanese authorities wanted to shout from the rooftops - or read about, for that matter. CPJ reports that the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) ordered the editors of sports newspaper Al-Sada to remove reports about the FIFA suspension. The NISS also confiscated all copies of other sports newspapers from printers on 10 July, and subsequently instructed all publications not to publish information that "targeted" officials associated with the dispute. The FIFA suspension was lifted on 13 July 2017.

The free expression landscape was not much better south of the border. On 17 July 2017, South Sudan authorities blocked the Sudan Tribune and Radio Tamazuj's websites. Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth told CPJ that the sites had been blocked for publishing content that was "subversive" and that the situation would not change until "those institutions behave well".

Hard pressed for words

On 13 July 2017, Somalia's council of ministers endorsed a new media bill that the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has described as "harsh" and "seriously damaging for the media."

In a statement, NUSOJ described certain provisions they are concerned about, including hefty fines for defamation, a requirement for all journalists to register with the Federal Ministry of Information, and the need for professional certification for someone to be considered a journalist.

On 19 July 2017, members of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) petitioned the Somali president to not pass the bill into law by parliament and to "adopt policies and measure suitable for the practice of journalism in Somalia."

West Africa is not without its share of controversial media laws. In late June, Senegal passed a new press code that the MFWA has described as being "one step forward, two steps back" for media freedom.

In a statement, the MFWA highlighted that of Article 192 of Senegal's new press code is of particular concern to the media community. Article 192 states that "a district chief executive and other authorities can suspend a media house if a publication is deemed to be a 'threat to the national security.'"
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The goal of this report is to provide African governments, civil society, researchers and other stakeholders with a tool that will guide and support the development and advancement of the right to information in Africa.

Freedom Forum monitored FoE during the elections as it concerns citizens' freedom of expression through the ballot box. Therefore, any action creating an unfavourable atmosphere for the elections is also a violation of freedom of expression.

A recent HKJA survey indicates a slight rise in the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index after two consecutive years of decline. Journalists on the ground believe that the situation has worsened in 2016, compared to the year before. HKJA chairperson Sham Yee-lan explained that the slight increase in the Press Freedom Index was likely to be related to the emergence of online media, which has led to some diversity in the industry.

This report presents the findings of a three-month study focused on mapping, observing and analysing online harassment of journalists in Hungary. The study aimed to identify the types of harassment journalists are subject to, which journalists are typically harassed, who the harassers are, and how journalists cope with harassment.

Combining both violent and nonviolent methods, the Communist Party's policies are designed to curb the rapid growth of religious communities and eliminate certain beliefs and practices, while also harnessing aspects of religion that could serve the regime's political and economic interests.

Many journalists increasingly practice self-censorship, fearing retribution from security forces, military intelligence, and militant groups. Media outlets in 2016 remained under pressure to avoid reporting on or criticising human rights violations in counterterrorism operations. The Taliban and other armed groups threatened media outlets and targeted journalists and activists for their work.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Bangladesh witnessed a spate of violent attacks against secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, foreigners, and members of religious minorities in 2016. Several laws were proposed during the year to increase restrictions on freedom of expression.

Freedom Forum observed a relatively peaceful atmosphere for the media this year (2016) with a significant decline in the number of press freedom violations. FF recorded only 25 incidents of press freedom violations during 2016 versus 83 in 2015.

Pakistan is among the countries that do not properly investigate and prosecute crimes against media professionals. Because of the near absolute level of impunity, most of the people who attack, injure or even murder media journalists in Pakistan remain free.

2016 is a highly significant year for Cambodian democracy. Looking back, 2016 marks 25 years since the conclusion of the Paris Peace Agreements (the “Paris Agreements”), which brought an end to 20 years of conflict in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) and laid the framework for a political settlement based on human rights and liberal democracy; looking forward, 2016 marks the unofficial start of the lead‐up to the local and national elections in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as political actors across the spectrum begin to position themselves.

In the 27 cases of journalists murdered for their work in India since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, there have been no convictions. More than half of those killed reported regularly on corruption. The cases of Jagendra Singh, Umesh Rajput, and Akshay Singh, who died between 2011 and 2015, show how small-town journalists face greater risk in their reporting than those from larger outlets, and how India's culture of impunity is leaving the country's press vulnerable to threats and attacks

Latin America is, by far, the most dangerous region of the world for environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). The lack of effective guarantees of human rights protection in Latin American States has created this dire situation.

Violence against journalists in Europe increased in the second quarter of 2016, reports submitted to Index on Censorship’s Mapping Media Freedom platform show, as a government crackdown in Turkey intensified and protests turned violent in countries from France to Finland.

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